The present invention relates in general to alignment tools which are to be used to check, measure, or evaluate the extent or degree of alignment (or misalignment) between two or more components. More specifically the present invention relates to alignment tools which mount directly to one or more of the components which are to be aligned, such as V-belt pulleys. As used herein, the reference to a xe2x80x9cV-beltxe2x80x9d is intended to include traditional V-belt styles as well as poly-V styles and multi-V styles of belts and pulleys.
The proper alignment of pulleys, typically involving a V-belt coupling between the driving pulley and the driven pulley, is important in order to keep the V-belt from coming off one or both pulleys. Proper alignment is also important in order to prevent accelerated wear of the V-belt which can occur when the belt is not properly set within the grooves of each pulley, a result of the pulleys not being in proper alignment. If the V-belt comes off either pulley, the corresponding machinery must be shut down and the spacing between the driving and driven pulleys shortened or reduced in some fashion in order to either reconnect the existing V-belt or replace the old V-belt with a new V-belt. This shut down and replacement procedure results in downtime to the machinery and additional labor.
With regard to the concern over premature belt wear due to misaligned V-belt pulleys, the specific geometry of the V-belts and their cooperation with the shape of the grooves formed within each pulley results in a compatible match and minimal wear. The V-belts are designed with a protruding portion which is shaped to fit within the V-groove or V-grooves of the pulley. When the centerlines of the V-belt groove and the cooperating pulleys are not aligned, the V-belt will be canted or twisted in some fashion. As such, there will be greater edge wear and in turn earlier V-belt failure. While there are downtime and added labor expenses associated with premature V-belt failure, there is also the added expense of a new V-belt.
It is difficult to ascertain the degree of the alignment or misalignment by simply sighting from one pulley to the other pulley, and even a slight degree of misalignment can have an adverse effect. It is therefore important to have some way of evaluating the degree of groove centerline alignment between the two cooperating pulleys. It is also important to have a way to make alignment adjustments while concurrently evaluating the degree of alignment. If the alignment tool which is used for this alignment check and adjustment has to be removed or its use discontinued when making a centerline alignment adjustment, there could be an over correction or under correction and this type of a trial and error method is inefficient.
The driving pulley is generally regarded as the point of reference, due in part to its direct connection to a more substantial and stable portion of the corresponding machinery. The driving pulley normally cannot be configured with the support bracketry that is adjustable in order to make the proper pulley alignment. The driven pulley is typically the pulley which will experience and demonstrate some degree of misalignment. In the disclosure for the present invention, the driven pulley is positioned on a fan hub for a motor vehicle. This driven pulley may exhibit non-alignment with the driving pulley in one of three ways. The entire pulley may be laterally shifted along the axis of rotation or tilted such that the geometric plane of the groove centerline intersects the axis of rotation at some included angle other than 90 degrees. The tilting can be inwardly or outwardly, referring to the upper or top portion of the driven pulley.
As with a number of tools, instruments, and devices, the less complexity often contributes to the ease of use, the reliability, and efficiency and this is true for the present invention. By attaching the alignment tool to only one of the two cooperating pulleys, it takes less time to assemble and is more reliable as compared to devices which must be attached to both pulleys. As such, the present invention represents a novel and unobvious advance in the art.
An alignment tool for checking the centerline alignment between first and second cooperating pulleys according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a targeting laser which is constructed and arranged to generate a beam of light, a holder constructed and arranged to attach to the first cooperating pulley, and including a receiving portion for receiving and retaining the targeting laser, the holder further including at least one adapter for direct interface with the first cooperating pulley, and a securing mechanism for securing the subassembly of the holder and the targeting laser to the first cooperating pulley such that the beam of light generated by the targeting laser is directed toward the second cooperating pulley so as to appear on a surface of the second cooperating pulley, the location of the beam of light as appearing directly on the second cooperating pulley being used to determine the degree of centerline alignment between the first and second cooperating pulleys.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved pulley alignment tool.
Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.